Ask Lemmy

Frame of reference gets bigger.

as a woman: less street harassment.

The absolute absence of shits I now give.

Turning 40 freaked me out a bit, but it hasn't been that bad, outside of the whole "collapsing society" thing that's been going on the last several years. I have a wonderful wife and kid, chickens, a dog, a cat with a heart full of disdain, and two dorky cars. I have good neighbors, a decent job, I honestly feel kinda guilty for how well I've been doing since I turned 40.

Being immune to the vagaries of pop culture and being pleasantly baffled when celebs make the news and you have no fucking idea who they are.

It's also kind of wild because a lot of the really, really famous young people look entirely the opposite of the super-good-looking A-listers of the past. Guess its great that the younger generation seem less superficial than we were, but my programming struggles to process it when I see some pasty, odd looking dweeb and find out they're outstreamng the Beatles or whatever.

It's almost over.

Experiencing all the various pain you only ever read about.

Oh, wait..

You stop giving a shit about famous people.

only 40 years until retirement (/s)

Having habits that you have honed to benefit you and having enough experience to develop forethought.

You've got a lot of good stories to tell.

Not dying at 39. This is weird lol. Aging isn't optional.

Depends on the person, but in my case:

• Financial stability
• Fewer worries
• I've learned to relax and not take things too seriously. Especially when it comes to myself.
• I finally know what I'm gonna do "when I grow up"
• Time and resources to spend on my hobbies

Giving less fucks in general

Most of the advantages don't come from being over 40, but rather, from the experience of having lived over 40 years. What you have is knowledge and perspective. You can make better choices, fall into fewer traps. It's that "wisdom" thing you may have heard of.

Also, as most people over 40 have been working for some time now, many of us (though definitely not all) have reached a different phase of their life financially. In my 20s, when things went wrong it was generally like "well, this is my life now", but in my 40s when something goes wrong it's more often like "ok, how much will it cost for this problem to go away?". And don't forget, with all of that wisdom we have, sometimes we can just solve the problem, but when that won't work, throwing money at problems is generally effective.

Finally, I think someone already said it, but it's worth repeating. You stop giving a shit about a lot of things, and it's liberating. It feels like honesty and confidence and contentment.

Honestly, the only disadvantage is that you can start to feel your body breaking down.

Everything else just gets better. You're wiser, smarter, more confident, less bothered, and you have fewer fucks to give.

And honestly, I look hotter now than I did in my twenties or thirties.

If only the world didn't keep on getting worse every year.

Not giving a shit what other people think of you. I think this starts, for most people, earlier than their 40's but it's still great. I don't care about impressing anyone except me.

You know more, but you're also aware of how much you don't know.

I just turned 60, and in the wake of my divorce 5 years ago I've made a dedicated effort to get my health and fitness in order, and am now in the best physical condition of my life. As I recently re-entered the dating pool, I've discovered that being a fit, good-looking man over 40, I'm in high demand.

Roughly half of all Americans are overweight, and I have no doubt that percentage increases significantly in men over 40. As a consequence, I have access to more attractive women than I've ever had in my life, and older women can be quite aggressive.

In the U.S., at age 30 there are roughly 120 single men per 100 single women. By age 45 there are only 95 single men per 100 single women, and by age 55 there are only 57. That is a massive shift that completely changes the power dynamic. There are a LOT of attractive women over 40, and I'm finding that while I did very well with women in my younger days, that pales in comparison to my experience today.

It's easier to stop caring and engaging with aspects of culture that you find distasteful.

Not giving a shit about so much stuff.

Only advantage for me is that I'm closer to death and ending this exhausting existence on this world.

I live by two simple statements, "No one can make me" and "No one can stop me". I adopted this some time in my early forties.

This applies mostly to social events and activities.

Want to jump on my motorcycle and head off for a weekend? No one can stop me.

Don't want to attend a wedding or birthday party? No one can make me.

My time is mine, and I'm free to choose that which I do and don't want to engage in.

Aside from that, as others have said, you really do stop giving a fuck what other people think of you.

This leads, at least in my case, to a smaller, but far higher quality social circle.

Mid 40 here.

I'm hard pressed for advantages. I care less for opinions of others, but also feel immense frustration that those exact opinions influence my life too often.

I appreciate many things more because I have the experience to know how much effort they were, but also lost my fascination amd feeling of wonder.

I think it is not an issue with being older as such. It is the time we live in.

Struggles increasing while the body and mind are decreasing.

Nobody expects great feats of strength. They look to nephews for manual labor.

Experience.

As long as you stay current and are willing to be malleable, your mind is a weapon forged with time.

You don't have to wait as long to die.

Emotional regulation. Better pay, if you have been able to work consistently. Kids older, easier to deal with. Happier, and can make better decisions because we are not so hotheaded.

Do you remember how anxious and insecure you were 10 years ago? Think about how much better are you at dealing with that shit today.

That just keeps growing.